We reckon it works well, but depends on the proportions of the driver. Cabin is classy, well-built and offers terrific comfort with Alcantara/PVC seats, great ergonomics and good space. Cargo bay is more capacious at 435 litres, thanks in part to torsion-beam rear suspension.

Performance & Economy | 16/20

Pug’s GT oiler is auto-only (the petrol GT is manual-only). With 400Nm from 2000rpm, the six-speed 308 charges hard, but with all 133kW arriving early (3750rpm), it’s not especially sporty, despite electronic sound augmentation. Acceleration to 100km/h is decent at 8.4sec, while 4.0L/100km combined-cycle economy is brilliant.

Twenty percent stiffen-up over lesser variants is felt in flatter handling. The snout points quickly in response to the small-diameter wheel and there’s only a subtle sense of the relatively heavy engine blunting the 308’s enthusiasm. Steering not big on feel but dependably linear, and the front delivers a high grip threshold.

Astina trumps 308 with 420Nm but is heavier, resulting in an identical sprint time. Economy is no match at 5.0L/100km, but the broad power band and throttle response are worth the bowser cost. Astina XD manual in a land of its own for driver-appeal and it’s a weapon – seven-tenths faster to 100km/h than the auto.

Ride & Refinement | 15/20

Mazda’s exhaust sound synthesiser is subtler than the Peugeot’s, in step with the fact it doesn’t spruik its warm-hatch credentials as loudly. More engine noise might’ve helped mask the dull tyre roar on coarse-chip surfaces. While Mazda’s base 3 can’t match a cooking 308 for ride and refinement, the XD is in the league of the GT.

Steering & Handling | 15/20

As with the 308, adding an oiler to the sprightly and entertaining 3 removes some of the sparkle; it feels a bit nose-heavy compared with the petrols. But the steering delivers feel once you lean on the nose, and the engine’s low-rev torque brings a means of exploring the dynamic envelope that isn’t available in an SP25.

VERDICT

Small cars start around $20K, so you need powerful justification to spend double that. And, given that a good hot hatch – say, a Golf GTI – delivers its entertainment with few compromises, an identically priced warm hatch, on the surface at least, exists in no-man’s land. Dig a bit deeper and the XD Astina’s effortless grunt, economy and a truly loaded level of standard equipment (with lots of advanced safety stuff) makes for an alluring package. The 308 GT diesel works with similar fundamentals, though it’s not quite as richly equipped and perhaps removes more from the poise and polish of the excellent entry-level 308 than it deposits in torque and thrift. We’d buy a Golf GTI or, if picking from this pair, the Astina.